Connecting Roads

[Anchor Lead]

South and North Korea have launched joint inspections of railroad sections that will connect the two sides of the Korean Peninsula. Inter-Korean cooperation in the fields of roads and forestry is also expected to gain pace.

[Pkg]

South and North Korea have finalized the timeline for the joint inspections of railroads that will connect the two sides of the Korean Peninsula and begun the project in earnest. On Friday, they will inspect the Dongui Line section between Chongnyong Station and the DMZ. On July 24 they will examine the Gyeongui Line section between Kaesong Station and the DMZ. On Friday the two sides will hold a working-level meeting following the inspection. On July 24 the joint inter-Korean inspection team will convene its first meeting. The results of the examinations conducted on existing sections will likely serve as a basis for the next stage. An on-site inspection for the modernization of the northern section of the Gyeongui Line and a new connecting section which the two sides had previously agreed to begin on July 24 is expected to be delayed. Six North Korean officials are to partake in the inspections and the upcoming meetings. The South Korean delegation visiting the North for the joint inspections comprises 15 officials. The railroad inspections are expected to pave the way for more inter-Korean cooperation that the two Koreas had agreed upon earlier, such as joint pest control at the inter-Korean border and the modernization of roads on the Gyeongui and Donghae lines.